Nature’s Treasures Photo Competition – Wild Landscapes Winners

September 4, 2020

Wild Landscapes, the second theme in the Wildlife Warriors Nature’s Treasures Photo Competition, drew 218 entries from 80 different photographers across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Photographers shared beautiful landscapes in East Africa especially with the current occurrence of the Great Wildebeest Migration in the Maasai Mara. The Amateur and Junior Categories continue to receive stunning entries impressing the judges’ enormously.

PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY

WINNER!

Riz Jiwa

Riz Jiwa from Kenya wins the #WildlifeWarriors Nature’s Treasures Photo Competition Professional Category on the theme Wild Landscapes for a striking image of the Great Wildebeest Migration as seen from the sky. The image was captioned by the photographer as “The grass is always greener on the other side… Of the river!”

The judges commend the photographer for the captivating image which shows everything a wild landscape photo would have; with the wildebeest crossing the river and the tour vehicles approaching the scene. The image perfectly tells the story of the migration through aerial photography.

The story behind the image as told by the photographer: We were on a hot air balloon over the Maasai Mara. On reaching the crossing we didn’t expect the wildebeest to go to the other side of the Olkeju Ronkai River, a tributary of the Mara River but luckily they did and I was able to grab my camera and capture the scene. We were definitely at the right moment and time.

This is Riz Jiwa’s second win. Congratulations Riz who wins Ksh 5000. Follow his work on Instagram @RizJiwa

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RUNNER UP!

Evans Toroitich

Evans Toroitich from Kenya is the Runner Up in the #WildlifeWarriors Nature’s Treasures Photo Competition Professional Category on the theme Wild Landscapes for an iconic image of an elder facing Mt. Kilimajaro captioned by the photographer as ‘A Maasai elder contemplates the majesty of Mt Kilimanjaro’.

The judges were impressed by the powerful story that this single photo tells. We spoke to Evans about his image.

• What do you do for a living? I’m a Nutritionist at Kenyatta National Hospital.
• Where did you take the photo? Amboseli, Kenya
• What camera did you use? Nikon D500
• What’s the story behind the image? It was a photography safari at Amboseli National Park. We made a stopover at a Maasai Village near Amboseli to see the culture. I thought of having the elder face the peak of the mountain to show the magnitude of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
• What’s the best advice you have been given on wildlife photography? Your eye is the first camera. Learn to compose the image even before pressing the shutter. It’s very hard to control some elements after taking a photo.
• Do you have any advice for upcoming photographers? Start with what you have. Don’t despise the camera you have. Experiment with the many variants of wildlife photography (such as bird or micro photography). You might find you are inclined to one and not the other.
• What do you love most about nature photography? You cannot control the elements in nature. It’s not like a studio set up where you tell the subject to pose. More often than not, its nature giving you the photograph rather than you taking it.

Congratulations Evans who wins Ksh 3000. Follow his work on Instagram @evanswildpics.

AMATEUR CATEGORY

WINNER!

Harshul Thacker

Harshul Thacker from Kenya wins the #WildlifeWarriors Nature’s Treasures Photo Competition Amateur Category on the theme Wild Landscapes for a surprising photo of the wildebeest migration with the backdrop of billowing smoke of a bushfire. The image was captioned by the photographer as ‘Chaos’.

The judges were impressed by the composition of the image and the story behind the image. We spoke to Harshul about his image.

• What do you do for a living? I’m currently a student doing my A levels at Oshwal Academy.
• Where did you take the photo? Maasai Mara National Reserve
• What camera did you use? Canon EOS 1D X Mark III
• What’s the story behind the image? I took the picture last month when there was controlled burning in the Maasai Mara for the new grass to grow. The wildebeest migration was happening at the same time. With the smoke behind all the wildebeest, I just felt like ‘chaos’ was the right word as that was what the picture represented to me when I took it.
• What’s the best advice you have been given on wildlife photography? “To become a better photographer you should stand in front of more interesting stuff”
• Do you have any advice for upcoming photographers? It’s a misconception that the better gear you have you become better automatically. Gear does play a huge part in your picture but not as big as people think it does. You need to be out in the field to take more pictures with whichever gear you have.
• What do you love most about nature photography? I love photography in general and nature photography is the most relaxing form for me. You don’t have any deadlines or assignments to meet and you can take photos in your own time. It’s very relaxing doing what you love.

Congratulations Harshul who wins Ksh 3500. Follow his work on Instagram @framehalt!

RUNNER UP!

Samuel Vasell

Samuel Vasell from Kenya is the Runner Up in the #WildlifeWarriors Nature’s Treasures Photo Competition Amateur Category on the theme Wild Landscapes for a beautiful image of the canopy of Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with the foreground of a neat tea plantation. As captioned by the photographer, ‘An image that quite clearly portrays human-wildlife conflict, the farmlands in the foreground and the wilds of the forest in the background.’

The judges were captivated by the good quality of the image. We spoke to Samuel about his image.

• What do you do for a living? I am a student.
• Where did you take the photo? Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
• Which camera did you use? Nikon 1 V3
• What the story behind the image? I was headed to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda when I saw this scene through the car window. I told the guide to stop by the side of the road so that I could get out and capture this image. I loved the contrast between the forest and the farming land in combination with a cloudy sky!
• What’s the best advice you have been given on wildlife photography? To have patience, this goes especially for wildlife photography.
• Do you have any advice for upcoming photographers? Practice close to your home, in a garden or a local park. It is important to get comfortable with the camera. There are often great images to be captured there too.
• What do you love most about nature photography? Getting out into nature is something that I find very interesting and relaxing. Seeing certain behaviour in wildlife or a spectacular scene/landscape and managing to capture it is a really good feeling.

Congratulations Samuel Vasell! You can see more of his beautiful photos on Instagram @samuelvasell. He wins Ksh 2000.

JUNIOR CATEGORY (15 Years and below)

WINNER!

Karamveer Palna

Karamveer Palna from Kenya wins the #WildlifeWarriors Nature’s Treasures Photo Competition Junior Category on the theme Wild Landscapes for an image that looks like it came straight out of Lion King. This scene includes a group of Giraffes, Ox-pecker bird, Zebras, Buffaloes, and Rhino all in one image with the landscape in the background. The photo was captioned by the photographer as “Natures Masterpiece in one frame”.

The judges were impressed by the beautifully composed image and commended the photographer capturing an amazing moment. We spoke to Karamveer about his image.

• How old are you? 14 years
• Where did you take this photo? Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
• What camera did you use? Nikon z6
• What’s the story behind the image? We had stopped to view Grevy’s Zebras because they are rare. Behind them, there were two giraffes, zebras, buffaloes and even a rhino. There was a time when they all ran which allowed me to capture the scenery with the wildlife running.
• What’s the best advice you have been given on wildlife photography? You must practice a lot of patience.
• Do you have any advice for upcoming photographers?  Do not wait for inspiration. Go out there and do it because it will come on its own.
• What do you love most about nature photography? Going out in nature is a completely different experience from everything else. When you get the opportunity to go to nature seeing different sceneries and different animals, it is very peaceful and calming to the mind.

Congratulations Karamveer! You can see more of his beautiful photos on Instagram @kv_palna. He wins Ksh 2000.

RUNNER UP!

Evelyn den Haring

Evelyn den Haring from Kenya is the Runner Up in the #WildlifeWarriors Nature’s Treasures Photo Competition Junior Category on the theme Wild Landscapes for a beautiful night sky captioned by the photographer as ‘this is what you see in cloudless nights’.

The judges were surprised to have a nightscape entry and were impressed by the stunning image of the night sky noting that it’s not always easy to capture the Milkyway. One can also see a water hole in the foreground.

• How old are you? 11 Years
• Where did you take the photo? Tsavo East National Park
• What camera did you use? Canon EOS 7D Mark II
• What’s the story behind the image? It was at night and I wanted to capture the beautiful night sky. The sky is always clear and beautiful in Tsavo since there is less to no light pollution in the area.
• What’s the best advice you have been given on wildlife photography? You have to think of how your image will look like before you take it.
• Do you have any advice for young and upcoming photographers? Always keep your camera steady especially when you know you might move to avoid blurry images.
• What do you love most about nature photography? I get to be in nature and take many photos. I started taking photographs when I was got my first camera for my first school field trip.

Congratulations Evelyn den Haring! She wins Ksh 1000.

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A big thank you to our partners African People and Wildlife from Tanzania who is supporting the Amateur Category – Winner, OGO – LAW who is supporting the Amateur Category – Runner Up, Diana Kisinga who will be supporting the Junior Category – Winner, Tony Wild who is supporting the Junior Category – Runner Up, Conservation Through Public Health, Gorilla Conservation Coffee, and Wildlife Clubs of Kenya.